Scarlett 3

by Tiece

  “Yes, April,” Jay answered while putting his clothes back on.

  April irritably hissed in the phone. “Don’t be short talking me. You just answered the phone.” She said, already sounding needy.

  Jay sighed heavily in the phone. April had become the most annoying person in the world. “Don’t you have a possible other baby daddy?” He coldly asked.

  “Baby, chances of this baby being his is slim to none. Yes, I messed around with him a couple of times, but not nearly as much with you. We were in a relationship. I don’t see how you can be mad with me when you were also cheating with that bitch.” She said, speaking of Sheila.

  “Well, from the looks of things she should’ve been the one I was faithful with. Your lying ass was fucking out of both pants legs. I think you even borrowed a pair.” He sarcastically cracked. She sat silent feeling like the villain, unlike the first time they were together. Jay was the cheating dog who’d kept getting caught up and she’d finally gotten the balls to leave him for good. So she thought, until she moved to Augusta, GA chasing Luke and ran back into Jay again. It couldn’t have been better timing when Luke started distancing himself from her, because she ran right back into Jay’s arms.

  Jay was tired of the silence on the other end of the phone. Plus, he’d heard Sheila making her way back downstairs. “Look, I gotta go,” he said. April wanted to say something, but she had a feeling that she knew where he was at.

  “Are you with her?” She asked.

  “Yes, I am. Why?”

  April sat silent again. Her thoughts were all over the place. The truth was that she loved Luke, but Luke had moved on and just witnessing him with Scarlett was more than enough proof of that. Jay, on the other hand, was supposed to be all hers, but once again, he wasn’t. The sad thing is that she’d rather him look bad than her, but nothing was going to change that fact that she’d fucked up now.

  “When you see that this baby is yours then you’ll know that us being together is fate. I know I’ve fucked up, but you have, too. I love you and I still want to be with you. That woman you’re with is not the right one for you. You know it.” She said, hoping that this was true. Jay sat silently, pondering her words. He did love Sheila, but Scarlett still had his heart and nothing was truer than that truth. Without saying another word, Jay ended their call. He knew that he was wrong for cheating on her, but it made it easier for him to get by with it, being that she was now a cheater, too.

  Sheila stepped in front of him with a half ass smile on her face. “See, what being a lying asshole will cause you?” She said, feeling like April was just a meaningless side chick that just so happen had gotten herself caught up. What she didn’t know was that April and Jay had a prior five years together before actually going their separate ways; information that Jay hadn’t provided her with, yet.

  “Baby, I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times I gotta say that.” He tried to pull her in for a kiss, but she turned her head. He went in for another one, but the doorbell rang bringing their quant foreplay to an end.

  “Who is it?” Sheila called out.

  “It’s me,” Mrs. Grand responded as she fumbled through her purse looking for the spare house key.

  Sheila popped Jay on the hand. “Move boy,” she teased then walked over to the front door and opened it.

  Mrs. Grand immediately stopped digging in her purse. “You haven’t snuck your house key back from me, have you?” She asked, pecking her daughter lightly on the cheek, and then entering the house. “Oh, hey Jay,” she uncaringly spoke.

  “Hey, Mrs. Grand,” he spoke back. He quickly looked over at Sheila as Mrs. Grand headed for the kitchen in search of something to drink. “Well, I’ma get on outta here. I know I’m not your mom’s favorite person right now.”

  Sheila smirked at his comment. “I wonder why,” she responded.

  “We’re not doing this now, but I love you and don’t you forget that. We’ll work through this and when it’s known that April’s baby isn’t mine then I will propose to you.” He sincerely said.

  “I guess only time will tell,” Sheila said, still standing in the doorway. “Well, it’s about that time.” Her eyes glanced over from him then towards his car parked in her driveway.

  “I know,” he said making his exit, but still trying to get one last kiss. Unfortunately for him, Sheila dodged that one, too. “Keep playing hard to get. I’ll get you sooner or later.”

  “So you say,” she said as she watched him until he got inside his car. She was actually enjoying the way he squirmed for her attention. It made her feel wanted, unlike the weeks prior to her finding out about April and she wasn’t going to let him forget that no time soon.

  “I thought you said that you were done with him?” Mrs. Grand quickly asked as she rejoined Sheila in the living room while drinking a glass of Merlot.

  “I am,” Sheila lied.

  “Well, what was he doing over here?” She nosily pondered.

  “He wanted to come by and tell me that April is having a paternity test in two weeks. If this baby isn’t his then he wants to make a serious commitment to me.” She explained, being that she told her mother everything.

  “A commitment?” Mrs. Grand questioned as she sat down on the recliner chair. “Is he planning on asking you to marry him?”

  “Yep, that’s what he said. He wants to prove his love.”

  “Hmph,” Mrs. Grand said as if it all sounded like a bunch of bullshit. “He’s cheater and a liar. I don’t trust him and I suggest that you don’t, either.”

  “Mom, I know how you feel about him, but I’m just gonna see how things play out with this paternity test.”

  “Okay, but don’t be a fool all your life.” She said then sipped from her glass. She was eagerly ready to change the subject. “Remember that car that I was telling you about that night when I ran into your father?”

  “Talking about when he was leaving the park?”

  “Yes,” Mrs. Grand confirmed. “Well, I believe that whoever was in that car is the woman that your father has been laying up with.”

  Sheila sighed because her mother’s paranoia about her father’s cheating was starting to become a little annoying. She knew about the small talk and nonchalant flirting, but never did she actually think that he was tipping out.

  “Mom, dad explained why he was in the park. Can’t a man pull over and get his thoughts together in a safe place like a park, without his wife of twenty-eight years thinking that he’s fooling around?”

  “Okay, if you say so, but I’m telling you that it was a woman in that car and your father had met up with her. I might not have been able to see through the tint, but I have a strong intuition that’s telling me something and I’m sure that soon we’re gonna find out.” She turned up her drink. “You just wait and see.”

  Chapter 4

  Anton and Tommy sat at the kitchen table caught up in all types of feelings about Slim’s death. Both of them felt horrible at how things went down, but Tommy felt worse, because he pulled the trigger. Tommy turned up his ice cold Corona, disappointedly shaking his head.

  Anton wanted to desperately erase what had happened to ease Tommy’s conscience. “Bro, it’s only eleven in the morning and you’re already drinking? You need to calm down some. You’ve been hittn’ the beers pretty hard lately.” he stated.

  Tommy sadly looked over at him. “That’s the only way I can deal with this shit. I’m trying to just forget about it, but I can’t. I don’t know how to feel, because at first I was hoping that Slim would die for my own selfish reasons. I didn’t want him to call me out, because Troy would’ve been out for blood. I mean, I didn’t care about him coming after me, I just didn’t want you involved.” He sincerely spoke then paused, getting teary eyed as he continued.

  “Then, this man started to fight for his life; a life that he was on the verge of losing, because of me. I didn’t know how to feel about that shit. I started wanting him to live so I wouldn’t have to live with killing a
man. Next thing I know, he’s dead.” He downed his beer then firmly sat it down on the kitchen table. “The man hung on for damn near three weeks then just let go.”

  Anton felt his pain, because he’d thought about things in the same way. “Tommy, you can’t beat yourself up about it. I know this may sound fucked up, but shit happens for a reason. I mean, he’s dead so we can live. Think about it that way. If that man would’ve lived, Troy and his Cuban connect would probably kill all of us. What’s one man’s life compared to four or five?” he asked, thinking that Scarlett would’ve automatically included herself in any beef that he was a part of.

  Tommy sadly shook his head. “Damn man, I guess you’re right. I didn’t think about it that way.”

  “I know you didn’t, but that’s the only way you can think about it. That’s the only way that you’ll get through this. You have to think about your cousin Bree, Ash, me, my sister and most importantly you and your life.” Anton instilled in him. “Come on, man. Get yourself together.”

  Tommy sat quiet for about two minutes just thinking. He had his head hung low while tapping on the wooden dining table with the top that was on his Corona. He eased his head up still trying to get his thoughts together as he mustered up a slight smile at Anton. “You’re right bro, you’re right.” He agreed, but somehow the thoughts of him killing a man still lingered in his mind; so he attempted to change the subject. “So, what’s up with you and cuz since Samantha ain’t giving you any play?”

  Anton sighed. “Bree is a good girl, man. She just wants to be with a brother, but she wants me exclusively and I can’t promise her that right now. So, she’s pretty much preparing to leave for college in August and I guess we’ll see where things go from there. Now Samantha, on the other hand, called me once during this whole time and basically told me that she wasn’t taking any more of my bullshit and that she was moving on. Hell, I can’t help but respect a female like that. I don’t like it, but it is what it is.”

  “Well damn, bro.” Tommy commented.

  “So what’s up with Ash and Troy? Do you know if she’s spoken to him since Slim died?”

  Tommy nodded his head from side to side. “From what she told me last night, he ain’t really talking to nobody. That shit with Slim got him fucked up. The money and dope he lost doesn’t compare to him losing his cousin.”

  “Hell, I can only imagine.” Anton commented.

  “Ash told me that he told her that he just couldn’t deal with nobody right now and so it was best for them to take a break. She even said that she was happy that he decided that, because she couldn’t live with being around him knowing the truth behind what happened, anyway. She too, can’t wait to leave for college.” Tommy explained. Anton sat quiet for a moment. Things seemed crazy at the moment, but then again, maybe not.

  “I think it’s a good thing that they’ll be leaving for college soon. That way they won’t be around here and constantly thinking about what happened. I love Bree, but I’m willing to let her go so she can be free and if it’s in the cards for us then she’ll return to me. Otherwise, I just want her to be happy.”

  “I feel you,” Tommy commented.

  “One thing I can say about them is that they’re loyal and no matter what we’ll never have to hear this again. As far as I’m concerned, as long as we’re the only ones that know about this then no one should suspect us of anything.”

  “That’s true, because both of them vowed to take this shit to the grave, as did we.”

  “And they will, so we’re good.” Anton assured him just as Scarlett entered the house carrying two bags of groceries.

  “What’s up fella’s?” She spoke, already sensing that they were in deep conversation.

  “Nothing much Sis, just chopping it up,” Anton stated.

  Scarlett directed her attention at Tommy. “Are you okay?”

  “I have no choice, but to be,” he answered.

  Scarlett knew that the boys had been under tremendous pressure after Slim had gotten shot and now to find out that he had died was even worse. They couldn’t just get in the streets and sell Troy’s dope, and there was no way that no one was going to spend any money, either.

  “Y’all haven’t touched that money in the attic, right?”

  “Nah, we ain’t touched it. It’s still there.” Tommy reported, knowing that they hadn’t touched a dime of it besides counting it.

  “Y’all haven’t touched the dope either, right?”

  Anton shook his head. “Sis, we haven’t touched anything. We know better.” He said.

  Scarlett looked at the both of them and pitifully shook her head at them. “Well, it’s time that y’all get out the house a little bit and unwind.” She went inside her pocket pulling out four one hundred dollar bills. “Take this and get out the house.”

  “Sis, we’re not gonna take your money like that. It’s bills that need to be paid around here.”

  “Boy please, you ain’t gotta worry about that. The bills are covered.” She said, but really she knew that she was penny pinching since Greg had to cut her off and she wasn’t taking anything from Luke at that moment.

  “Sis, are you sure ‘bout this?” Anton asked again. He didn’t want to take her money. He knew that it was tight.

  Scarlett grabbed Tommy’s hand placing the money in it. “Here Tommy, take the money since Ant is acting crazy. Y’all please just get out of this house and go find something constructive to do. Go holla at some girls or something.” She pleaded.

  “Come on, bro,” Tommy said. “Maybe your sister is right. This may make us feel better.” Anton quickly got up from the table. He wanted nothing more than to help ease his best friend’s pain.

  “Okay then, let’s go,” he said to Tommy, and then kissed Scarlett on the cheek. “Thanks Sis.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said with a satisfying smile. “Just have fun and stay outta trouble.”

  “We got’chu Sis,” Anton agreed then he and Tommy exited the kitchen on their way out the door. They didn’t know where they were going, but wherever it was, it was needed.

  Just as Scarlett was going inside the refrigerator, Nina showed up.

  “Knock knock,” she said, walking in as Scarlett went on about her business and grabbed a Corona. She needed one after the encounter she’d just had with April’s ass.

  “What’s up, girl?” Scarlett spoke. “You want one?” She held the ice cold Corona up so Nina could see it.

  Nina quickly thought about her fight earlier with Faye. “YES, please le’me get one of those.”

  Scarlett reached back inside the refrigerator and grabbed her best friend a beer, too. She handed Nina the beer and stared at her for a moment. Her light skin looked flushed and her facial expression was that of frustration. Nina didn’t seem to pay much attention to how Scarlett was looking at her as she popped the top on the Corona and damn near drowned it with one swallow.

  “Damn!” Scarlett commented with a frown. “What kind of morning have you had? From the looks of things it’s kinda reminding me of the crazy morning that I’ve had.” She said, popping the top on her beer and damn near turning it up in one swallow.

  Nina disturbingly shook her head. “Trust me; your morning can’t possibly be as bad as mine.” Scarlett raised a nosey eyebrow. The look in Nina’s face had her wondering what the hell was really going on.

  “Do tell, bitch.” She quickly said, waiting to hear the hot news.

  “You would not believe who the hell Stephen’s girlfriend is.” She said then finished off the Corona like it was nothing. Scarlett knew it had to be somebody that they both knew and somebody that she would least expect.

  “Well Damn, I hope it ain’t your mama how you’re acting.” She jokingly responded with a curious smirk on her face, having absolutely no idea who she could be talking about.

  Nina huffed for a second as if just saying the name would make her vomit. “It’s Faye bitch.” Scarlett immediately went into a puzzled state and her facial exp
ression showed it as she stood there speechless. “I said that it’s FAYE, bitch.” She repeated again, still waiting for a response.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Scarlett called out, almost choking off of her Corona. That information took a minute to register for some reason as she cleared her throat. “Are you talking about Phaedra, Faye? The same bitch that has sabotaged my relationship with Luke,” she said, clearly caught off guard with that one.

  “Yep, the same ex-friend of ours that’s now the new best friend to April’s old bitch ass.”

  Scarlett looked annoyingly baffled. “Tell me you’re playing.”

  “I wish I were.” Nina confirmed. “You should’ve seen it. Stephen pulled up with the kids. You know I made sure I was on point just in case she was with him.”